Marineford.
Inside the Fleet Admiral's office.
"What? Vice Admiral Gin and the others…"
Sengoku's expression darkened as the Transponder Snail relayed the report. His teeth clenched as he slammed his hand on the desk.
"Didn't I make it clear? Don't approach! Don't approach! Don't approach! Why did they still rush in and throw their lives away?"
The Transponder Snail clicked off, and silence filled the room. Sengoku began pacing slowly, his heavy steps echoing against the marble floor.
After a long moment, he sighed deeply.
"It's just as I feared. If Kaido and Big Mom hear about this, they'll understand one thing—Shirogai isn't just targeting the Four Emperors. He's targeting everyone."
Sengoku rubbed his temples with a weary look.
"That kid's too protective. You can't be hostile toward him, and even less toward his crew. Anyone who provokes him—be it the Emperors or the Marines—will pay for it."
The moment Sengoku heard that the three Vice Admiral brothers, Gin, Yin, and Tong, had provoked Shirogai, his heart sank.
Originally, although Shirogai had disrupted the Marine's plans and rattled the Four Emperors' influence, Sengoku had still seen potential in it.
Suppressing the arrogance of the Four Emperors without deploying a single soldier—how rare and ideal that was.
He had even planned to let the news leak through the press, humiliating the Emperors before the world.
Let the ambitious pirates strike at them. Let chaos devour chaos.
It would've been a perfect victory for the Marines.
But now… the Marines themselves had been dragged into it.
Shirogai had destroyed twenty three Marine warships with a single strike of his blade.
Even if many of those ships were older models, they were still powerful enough to challenge most pirate crews.
That kind of loss couldn't be covered up, nor could it be broadcasted. If the newspapers printed that twenty three Marine warships were obliterated by one man, the Marines would become a global laughingstock—worse than the Four Emperors themselves.
Ordinary people might not dare mock the Emperors, but they would mock the Marines without hesitation.
"They're a bunch of pig-headed fools!"
Sengoku slammed his palm against the desk and sat heavily in his chair, fury radiating from him.
"Stupid! Unbelievably stupid!
Everything's been running too smoothly lately, and it's made my officers arrogant! They really believed three Vice Admirals and a fleet of outdated ships could face someone on the level of an Emperor?"
He wanted nothing more than to drag those three fools back from the dead and slap sense into them with his Great Buddha Form.
"Now, how do we recover the Marines' lost prestige…"
After a pause, Sengoku called out sharply, "Someone!"
The door opened immediately, and a Marine officer entered, standing at attention.
"Fleet Admiral!"
"Send word to the propaganda division—publish that the Red-Haired Pirates ambushed our forces during an official mission, causing severe Marine casualties. Use that as the headline and make sure every newspaper runs it tomorrow."
Right now, pinning the blame on Shanks was the best move.
"Yes, Fleet Admiral!"
The officer saluted and exited. Sengoku stared at the door as it closed, his voice dropping to a frustrated mutter.
"Shirogai… you really are a walking disaster."
---
The next day.
"Shanks, take a look at this…"
Beckman handed a newspaper to Shanks, who sat at the edge of a seaside cliff, fishing rod in hand and a blade of grass between his teeth.
Shanks squinted at the headline, then raised an eyebrow.
"'Red-Haired Pirates attack Marine fleet—three Vice Admirals killed'… Huh? We did what now?"
He tilted his head. "Beckman, did we kill anyone recently?"
Beckman sighed and exhaled smoke from his cigarette. "No, Captain. The Marines are just shifting blame. They're covering up what Shirogai did yesterday."
"Heh, I figured." Shanks smirked, his eyes amused. "Then let them think it was us. Our reputation's bad enough already. To the world, we're all just devils in fancy hats anyway."
Beckman chuckled lowly. "Can't argue with that."
He flicked his cigarette onto the paper, letting it burn to ash before the breeze carried it into the sea.
"Whoa! A bite!"
Shanks yanked hard on his rod, a grin spreading across his face as a massive black fish burst from the water.
"Quick, Beckman, the net! We're eating good today!"
Bang!
A single shot rang out. The fish fell limp, a bullet between its eyes.
"No need for that much trouble," Beckman muttered, lowering his smoking pistol.
"Hey! That was my catch!" Shanks groaned, glaring at him. "You could've at least let me reel it in first!"
"Do it yourself," Beckman said over his shoulder as he walked off. "I'm going for a smoke… and maybe some company."
"Ugh, you're too cruel!" Shanks shouted after him, pouting at the still water. "How am I supposed to lift this thing alone?"
---
Out at sea. Aboard the Going Merry.
"Wow! A fish!"
Luffy, his Straw Hat tilted back, pulled on his rod with a grin. The sea churned as something massive tugged from below.
"It's huge! Usopp! Chopper! Get the net!"
From inside the storage room came Usopp's distracted voice. "Hold on, Luffy! I'm at the most critical step in creating my Super Invincible World's Strongest Ammo!"
Chopper's muffled reply followed from the cabin. "I'm mixing new medicine! Give me a minute!"
Luffy struggled, sweat beading on his forehead as he fought the pull. "Come on, you guys! Don't leave me hanging!"
A familiar voice beside him laughed softly.
"Looks big enough to make some giant fried fish, huh?"
"Hahahaha! Right! Shirogai, it's been forever since I caught one this—"
Luffy froze. His grin vanished.
"...Shirogai?"
He blinked, his eyes widening.
Didn't Shirogai leave?
Aokiji had said he went after the other Emperors and might never come back.
Even if they hadn't wanted to believe it, that news had left a shadow on every Straw Hat's heart.
And yet…
As Luffy's grip faltered, the fishing rod jerked violently. He was nearly pulled overboard—until a strong hand caught the rod and steadied it.
"Careful. I'd hate to see you become lunch for a fish."
Luffy's head whipped around, his eyes instantly filling with tears.
"Shirogai!!!!!!!!"
His voice cracked as his neck stretched ridiculously long in excitement.
The man who'd left four days ago stood there with a faint smirk—the same calm, sharp glint in his eyes.
Shirogai smiled as Luffy barreled toward him. "It's only been a few days, and you already miss me that much?"
Hearing Luffy's shout, everyone on the Merry rushed out to the deck.
"Shirogai's back?!"
He turned toward them, that cool, confident smile never leaving his face.
"Long time no see, partners."
The crew tackled him in a chaotic pile of hugs and laughter.
Chopper clung to Shirogai's face, sniffling.
"Waaah, Shirogai! That Admiral Aokiji said—you weren't coming back!"
______
Happy new month, Ladies and Gents 🍁
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